With or Without Him

Title:  With or Without Him

Author:  Barbara Elsborg

Publisher:  Samhain Publishing

Length:  357 pages

Rating:  B List

Quad Shot of Love

Blurb:  The most dangerous refuge could be his lover’s arms.

Everyone has at least one deep-seated fear. For Tyler, it’s being in debt. He’s so desperate to get out and stay out of it, he’ll do almost anything—including selling his body at Saturday night sex parties.

But he refuses to open his mind to anyone, especially the men paying to use him however they want. The only time he’s truly happy is during the week at college, when he can escape into his music.

The moment Haris sees Tyler playing piano at a concert, he falls hard, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make the guy his. Even if it means—for the first time in his life—opening his wallet as wide and desperate as his heart.

£20,000 to live with a good-looking guy for four months? How can Tyler resist the chance to ditch the sex party scene for good? But neither man realizes how much they’re risking. And when outside forces close in, ready to destroy them, the trickiest part about the next four months could be just surviving.

Warning: Contains a “for hire” bad boy with a filthy mouth, an awkward guy with a penchant for BDSM, a hypochondriac butler who won’t shut up, a dog called Alcide, and a lot of hot and dirty M/M sex.

Review: My, my… this was a steamy read! I love an angst filled story and this one sure delivers. The main plot device, of a rich man buying the ‘company’ of another for a set time, is very much like the classic paperback romances I read in high school. A sort of guilty pleasure read. But Tyler is not some innocent ingenue, shocked at the proposal, he has experience in trading sex for money to pay for his music degree, and not in the best circumstances.

After Harris rescues Tyler from a very dangerous situation and later makes his offer neither man goes into the relationship with much trust. Both have deep emotional issues that make forming a bond difficult. Harris is a hard man to like, jealous and moody, but his past will shed light on his personality. The story surrounding their romance involves mystery, revenge, and the seedier world of sex for hire.

I’m not one to go on about secondary characters in my review,s but I have to say Wilson was a delightful character! In a book that could be considered overwrought at times when it comes to angst, Wilson is the comic relief. Clever, funny, sarcastic, and caring, he really was a bright spot in a novel revolving around darkness.

Some parts of the book did not work perfectly, there was quite a lot of miscommunication as well as quite a bit of sex. Possibly my feelings stem from the long length of the book… When in the mood for an erotica thriller this is a great book as long as you don’t mind a couple of men that have big communication problems.

Trigger Warning:  Without going into specifics, I will say that while there wasn’t rape in the book there were a few moments that could be triggering to those with sensitivities. Though despite what the blurb may say this book does not have a BDSM relationship.

Reviewed by Jules